1. Field of the Invention
2. Related Art
Some shipping carriers provide tracking tools that permit customers to track the status of shipments made by the carriers. One known carrier, for instance, provides an Internet-accessible tracking tool that allows a customer to determine whether or not a package shipped by the carrier has reached its intended destination. In operation, the customer queries the tool by inputting a unique package number assigned by the carrier. The tool uses this number as an index to retrieve any status information that may have been entered regarding the package in the course of its delivery.
However, the above-described type of tracking tool has limitations. Namely, a customer can extract information from this tool only if the customer knows the identity of the carrier that is shipping the package and the reference number (or numbers) assigned to the package by the carrier. Tracking packages based on the individual codes assigned by separate carriers may pose a burden on a customer who places multiple orders in the course of a day using several carriers. Further, a package-centric approach to product tracking (that is, where a package identification number is used to track the location of the product) may become ineffective if the products shipped in an initial package are transferred to another package in the course of transit. That is, in this case, a customer may not be able to examine the status of a shipment by inputting the reference number associated with the initial package.
Another drawback of known systems is that they generally provide only rudimentary information regarding the location of a package. However, as appreciated by the present inventors, there may be many aspects regarding the transfer of the products that may interest different customers. For instance, a large package may contain several items. A customer cannot use the above-described Internet tool to investigate the contents of the package. Further, the package may be combined with other packages and shipped on a particular carrier. A customer cannot use the above-described Internet tool to broaden the search by examining the scope and composition of the overall shipment.
Another drawback of known systems is that they provide limited provisions for handling high priority shipments. For instance, if a customer initially places a high priority on a shipment, the customer will typically select a mode of transportation that ensures quick and reliable service (as opposed to slower, more unpredictable services). For instance, for a small package, the customer might opt to ship it by Federal Express, identifying that it is to be delivered to the destination site the next business morning. A problem arises, however, when the user initially sends the product using a low priority service, and then later learns that the product should be delivered as a high priority shipment (e.g., in a quicker time frame than was originally anticipated). The known shipping services do not provide an effective mechanism for allowing a customer to alter the priority of the shipment once the shipment is under way. Indeed, the known systems do not even provide a mechanism for identifying high priority products within, for instance, a shipload of lower priority products. Hence, the high priority products may be lost in a “sea” of lower priority items and cannot be targeted for expedited processing.
There is accordingly a need to provide a more effective interface between a shipping service and its users.